Network address formats and protocols on Mac

If you know the address for a shared computer or server on your network, you can use it to connect to the computer or server. You can connect to Mac and Windows computers with file sharing turned on, as well as servers that use SMB/CIF, AFP, NFS and FTP.

The network address consists of a protocol (such as smb://) followed by the Domain Name System (DNS) name and any additional pathname for the computer. Check the table below for the correct address format to use to connect to different types of servers.

Sharing Protocol

Address Format

SMB/CIFS (Windows) servers and shared folders

Use one of these formats:

smb://DNSname/sharename

smb://IPaddress/sharename

You can also use the computer name. If you don’t specify the shared folder as part of the address, you can choose it after you enter your username and password.

AFP File Sharing

afp://ComputerName.CompanyName.com

To see the AFP file sharing address for a Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Sharing, then select File Sharing. The address appears in the window.

NFS server

nfs://DNSname/pathname

WebDAV server

http://DNSname/pathname

You can use the Internet Protocol (IP) address for the computer instead of its DNS name.

From the Finder, you can connect to FTP servers only with read-only access. To copy files to an FTP server, use an FTP app.